


Hallucinations

by Rangergirl3



Series: Whumptober 2019 [23]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:48:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23210491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rangergirl3/pseuds/Rangergirl3
Summary: Sometimes, when he's under a lot of stress, Keith hears things that aren't there.
Relationships: Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt
Series: Whumptober 2019 [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1506101
Comments: 11
Kudos: 132





	Hallucinations

Keith didn't sleep well.

He'd have thought he would be used to it by now, but...

Well, it was catching up with him in ways he hadn't expected.

* * *

One early morning, Pidge met Keith coming down the Castle's main corridor. When she asked him how he'd slept the night before, he'd shrugged and avoided looking directly back at her as he answered.

"Wasn't - wasn't great. I sort of -" 

He broke off, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand in a distracted manner before continuing.

"Pidge, no one was - no one was - no one got hurt last night, right?"

She blinked owlishly back up at him. 

"Uh, no. Nope, we're all good, Keith. Worst thing that happened after you went to bed was Lance lost to the level boss in that video game. He sort of shouted lots of words in Spanish, but, like, that wasn't like, full-on screaming, or anything."

She tilted her head to one side, peering inquisitively into his face.

"Why? Did you have a nightmare, or something?"

Keith shook his head.

"No, it wasn't - it wasn't a nightmare, I just -"

Pidge waited, concern evident on her features. 

"I - I tried those sound-canceling headphones Lance gave me, right? And I - "

Keith's hands visibly trembled as he went on. 

"-I heard - I _heard_ screaming. I know I did. But I wasn't asleep, so it wasn't a nightmare - but - Pidge, there was _screaming_ , and when I got up to - to check -"

His voice was shaky.

"- nothing was wrong. Everyone was okay. I checked the monitors, everything was fine - but - but - I couldn't really fall asleep again."

Pidge blinked rapidly. 

"Keith, I'm so sorry. That's _horrible_."

He shrugged, but it was a weary gesture. 

"I don't know if I'm going crazy, or if I'm just - really really stressing out, but - but it freaked me out."

He covered his eyes with one hand. 

"I can't do that again, Pidge. I just - I can't."

Fingers tugged at the sleeve of his shirt, and then someone with glasses was giving him a slightly awkward, but very well meaning, one-armed hug. There was only one person on the Castle who was shorter than he was.

"Let's find Coran," Pidge said. "I'm sure there's something we can do to help, yeah?"

Keith returned the one-armed hug. "You think so?"

Pidge reached up with her other arm and swatted the back of his head gently, but affectionately. She had to go up on her tiptoes to do it, and even so, it barely connected with the back of his head.

"Sure do," she said. "Did you know that hallucinations can be caused by all kinds of things?"

Finally, Keith looked back down at her. "Like, what?"

Pidge shuffled her feet so that in order to continue the one-armed hug, he had to walk with her down the hallway. 

"Oooh, lots of stuff. Sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation, side effects of medicines, and uhhhh yeah, wow, that's only the start of it, Keith. Brains are weird, huh?"

Keith huffed out a breath that might have been a wry laugh.

"Mine especially, I guess," he said.

Pidge considered elbowing him affectionately in the side, but decided against it. She didn't want to get him in the kidney or something. 

"Just so long as you know that you are speaking to the Queen of Weird," she declared instead. "No, seriously, I have a badge. Or a sticker. Or something. I think Matt made it for me. You know, as a present."

"That was...uh...nice? Of him?"

"Oh, yeah, I love it. I think it's still on my backpack."

Pidge glanced back up at him. "Of course, I could give you one too. How about a Knight, or a Rook, or something?"

Keith snorted. "What, are we making a chessboard?"

Pidge sniggered. "Haha, a chessboard of strange."

"Like in Harry Potter."

"Yeah, but _better_."

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are loved! <3


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